Vietnamese Chicken and Cos Lettuce Cups

Ingredients

• 2 Cos/Romaine lettuce, leaves separated and washed — you need 16 good cup-shaped leaves
• 500 g minced chickenminced pork works just as well
• 2 lemongrass stalks, tough outer leaves removed, finely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 3 cm fresh ginger, finely grated
• 1 red chilli, finely sliced, seeds in or out to taste
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tbsp tamari or gluten-free soy sauceuse regular soy sauce if gluten is not a concern (add gluten to allergens)
• 2 tbsp lime juice, freshly squeezed (about 1 lime)
• 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
• 1 tsp caster sugar
• 4 spring onions, finely sliced
• 15 g fresh mint, leaves picked
• 15 g fresh coriander, roughly chopped
• 1 lime wedges, cut into wedges for serving (optional)

Contains: cereals gluten, fish, sesame, soya.

Method

1. Separate the cos leaves, selecting the 16 best cup-shaped ones. Pat them dry with kitchen paper and refrigerate while you cook the filling — cold crisp cups against the warm filling is the point.About 5 min
2. Mix together the fish sauce, tamari, lime juice, sesame oil and caster sugar in a small bowl. Stir until the sugar dissolves. Set the dressing aside.About 2 min
3. Heat the vegetable oil in a large wok or frying pan over a high heat until smoking. Add the lemongrass and stir-fry for 30 seconds, then add the garlic and ginger and stir-fry for a further 30 seconds.About 2 min
4. Add the minced chicken and stir-fry, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, for 5–6 minutes until cooked through and slightly caramelised at the edges. The mince should be well separated with no pink remaining.About 6 min
5. Pour over the dressing, add most of the chilli and stir everything together over the heat for 30 seconds. Remove from the heat and stir through the spring onions, mint and coriander.About 1 min
6. Arrange the cold cos cups on a large plate or board. Spoon the warm filling into each cup. Scatter over the remaining chilli and serve immediately with lime wedges.